thanks all for the input. I guess I should try to get the firearms prohibition removed asap. Just curious how it'll work if I get it removed after I get a record suspension. If I do a CPIC check after a pardon, will I be able to see a FPS number?

@Michelle
@John Rogers

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information out there, even some of the stuff you both say is also contradictory. I honestly don't know what to do. The whole process is stupid and again border agents have no judgement. Can we just agree this is just a cash grab? I will call Manni again and hopefully he answers.

I will ask the both of you again. How realistic are my chances at getting a waiver for mischief under 5000$ (a broken window) which happened 2.5 yrs ago? Also may I add, I have a withdrawn intimidation charge and given a conditional discharge for the mischief charge. The 5 yr timeframe has not passed for a waiver and my discharge is supposed to be purged in March 2020. My FPS# will not be destroyed with the conditional discharge being purged. Getting a file destruction will not help apparently. So, what are my chances? I believe since the 5 yrs have not passed, I am pretty much barred entry to the US for another 2 years.

I will come clean to my employer in a few months and hopefully they understand. Hopefully, they exert some pressure on Trump to grant me entry.

@1806, hmm..you have asked a very good question..and to be honest, I don't know. What I do know is that a lifetime firearm prohibition stays on CPIC under your FPS #. Therefore, I am fairly certain that a file destruction will not help you, as the RCMP are not going to close your FPS and remove it from the system. But without seeing your RCMP results marked for a Pardon, I am just giving you my best guess...

#1806, Alberta Pardons is owned by my old supervisor at Edmonton Police. She hired me and I replaced her when she left to start Alberta Pardons. For the most part she provides a good service and is very busy with Alberta clients. I don't think she branches out to much...as her business is mostly digital fingerprinting. I agree with John's statements, there are some things mentioned on the website I don't agree with. You have to watch their fee structure, they have a lot of "extra" fees, on top of their standard fee..

@Hopeless Confused can you text me a number and I'll have him call you?

416-843-1371

@Hopeless Confused

Alberta Pardons seems to put a lot of effort into their website to point out how legitimate they are. Most of what they say seems accurate except for this:

“Youth charges, 266cc Assault, Assault with a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon, Mischief, Fail to Comply, Obstruct Police Officer, Fail to Attend Court, Impaired Driving, Reckless Driving, Failure to Blow, Uttering a Forged Document, and/or 1 Summary offense such as Theft Under.”

They claim that all of these do not need waivers. This is false. I only do a waiver under 2 conditions.

1.) The person is denied entry. How do we know they need a waiver? Homeland Security TOLD them to do one.

2.) The person cannot get a pardon either at all, or in time and does not want to risk trying to cross without a waiver.

I have plenty of clients who were DENIED entry because of many of the offences listed. When the waiver was done (and it was done properly) they did not tell them they were admissible, but that they were granted a Waiver.

“You can get a Canada Pardon or US Waiver in 3 to 6 months. Many companies are lying to people saying they can get a Pardon or Waiver in 3 to 6 months, and 8 months later they will say, we meant the Parole Board or Homeland Security will process it within 6 months, and they always fail to mention it will take 3 to 5 months to gather all the paperwork from government agencies that simply will not rush documents no matter how much you pay the company processing your application. For the most up-to-date processing times Click Here.”

“At this time, for biometrically submitted fingerprints, with 1 to 3 Summary convictions, it is taking 1 to 3 months to assemble a U.S. Waiver application, unless you have been Pardoned or have no record on CPIC, which can then reduce the time frame to approximately 2 weeks. If you have 3 or more Summary convictions or any Indictable convictions on CPIC, or really old convictions, it can take up to 4 months to assemble your Waiver application, including about 2 months to obtain an RCMP Certified Record, and another 2 months to obtain Court Records. Processing times by U.S. Customs / Homeland Security are currently between 4 to 7 months, largely depending on what you were convicted of, and whether or not the FBI has been swamped with millions of extra background checks from U.S. residents trying to obtain firearms used in the latest spree killing(s). Note: Due to recent changes in policy by DHS regarding recent trafficking and/or recent Indictable offenses (convictions within the last 5 years), some first time applicants are now only receiving a 6 month Waiver. Note: Any Sexual Assault, Interference, Indecent Assault, etc, will most certainly delay your application by another 6 to 12 months.”

First of all, no one with a sexually based offence is getting a waiver right now. No one.

Secondly, as you have all heard, in Ontario most waivers are coming back in 60 days. I attribute this to the port of entry being good at processing right away. So this is inaccurate, but he also may not have updated his site, or may have the same problem Michelle has, which is the Port of Entry is obviously holding on to the application.

Beware relying on the websites of ANY company. The information is not updated constantly (unlike this forum where new info is provided by many sources) and its "self-serving". Its an advertisement, not facts.

I do like the Alberta Pardons tells you what to watch out for, (Ken Scott is not named but his methodology is mentioned and critiqued and they mention places that promise September Letters on the west coast) but it is a LOT of reading.

@Michelle

So getting a file destruction will not clear the FPS#.

@John Rogers

I called Manni but I got no response back as of yet.

I also came across another website, Alberta Pardons. I don't know what your experiences have been with these guys. According to their website as you mentioned Michelle, a mischief charge should not bar me entry to the US. However, that withdrawned intimidation charge will surely cause an issue for me

@nicknack, you need a waiver for sure regardless of a Pardon or not. A lifetime prohibition remains in CPIC and is not removed with a Pardon. Once your Pardon is granted, the FPS # (your fingerprint assigned number) will remain in CPIC, along with the firearm prohibition, therefore, flagging the USA that you were charged with a criminal offense.

@nicknack

You need a waiver for sure. No way they are going to have a note that you were caught for weed and given a fine and let through in 2019.

The firearms prohibition I believe does show up on CPIC although I will defer to Michelle on that. She has a lot of expertise when it comes to CPIC.

A regular CPIC check does not reveal you have a pardon. A lifetime weapons prohibition MIGHT be mentioned but not sure how it works.

@michelle yea I tried that but I keep getting an error that says I don't have permission to post.

Well my questions are related to record suspensions, so if the Mod doesn't mind, I'll post it here:

Hey all, really happy to find this forum for all the expert advice given here. I (as most people applying for a record suspension) have a unique history and needed some advice.

I'll start out by giving a little history. In the early 2000's, when I was barely out of my teens and a lot stupider, I was driving through the US border with 2 friends. I didn't think it would be such a big deal as I had done it a few times before and never had any issues. So I took about 5 gms of weed in a baggy in my pocket - very stupid, I know. They pulled us over for secondary of course and found "residue" in my car. Sure enough, they brought me into a room and asked me to empty my pockets at which point I told the officer I had a baggy of weed on me. Long story short, after threatening me, scaring the crap out of us in detention for 6 hours and searching my car, they just made me pay a fine of US 500.00 and let us through.

Few years later I got mixed up with the wrong crowd and got multiple convictions for possession for the purpose of trafficking, breaches, possession of a gun (many more serious charges were withdrawn for various reasons) and spent about a year total inside.

Very long story short (yes I have many stories to tell) I finally cleaned up, went to university and now have been working in banking for over 10 years. I recently applied for my record suspension and hopefully should get it before the end of the year if not soon into 2020.

So, my questions are... I have been states side many times as a kid and since that last trip where I got caught and let through, I haven't been back - that was before I had a criminal record. Considering that they let me through after catching me with weed and I have never been denied entry, what are the chances they could deny me based on that one time they actually caught me and let me through?

Also, I have a firearms prohibition for life (which I'm considering requesting a court to remove). If I get a record suspension, how can the authorities (and CBP) know about the firearms prohibition if my record is sealed - is it accessible outside of CPIC?

I also have a refusing the breathalyzer conviction and wanted to know if that will get erased from my driving abstract? Can CBP officers access my driving record and see that conviction after I get a record suspension?

And last one... Once I do get a record suspension, does a CPIC search ever reveal even a mention of it being granted as a side note? I've heard of these "side notes" on CPIC and wanted to know if anything at all will be visible.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your pursuits of freedom!

Hi All, just an update from Saskatchewan....Client received 5 yr waiver - delivered paperwork on May 23 - received July 31..This is not a normal timeline for here...so very happy!!! Nothing special about this one..it was not complicated...it was a renewal..the only thing..Client had previously hired Express Pardons to do his renewal, paid a lot of money...but lost out when they closed the doors..so he was very hesitant to hire another company...All worked out now...

@nicknack you might be better off just adding to an existing thread, even if it is not an exact match. I too cannot start new threads.

#1798, I think you click on the I-194 waiver Forum at the top of this page, it will bring you to home page, and then you click on thread over on right side...

hey guys, I'm new and can't seem to start a new thread but apparently I can reply to an existing one. can someone tell me what I need to do to start a new thread here?

@BackToUSA

Email me and I will help you with the personal letter. Regardless of WHO you use, I don't want to see a fellow Canadian get screwed.

pardon.experts@rogers.com

Thanks for the replies.
The $ is in the same ballpark Michelle is suggesting and so are the timelines.
Yes - I have to write my own waiver letter and they’re not assisting at all when I ask questions about what it should or shouldn’t say. It was pulling teeth to get info on what a character reference letter should say.
I’m in Atlantic Canada so not dealing with Ontario at all. They told me that could speed the process along. And we don’t have a big market for this type of thing - couldn’t find anyone anywhere local to assist.
If this doesn’t work I will talk to you a year after I’m rejected. Sigh.

@1792 and 1793...wow, John, thanks!...I did not realize Pardons Canada was that bad... I sure hope that someday the Parole Board will do an Accreditation like the RCMP do for private fingerprint companies. But until then, people need to read reviews....Thanks for the info...

@Michelle

Never heard of Assured Pardons, (Vancouver) but they are trying to sell domain name etc because they are going out of business. They have awful reviews.

@BacktoUSA

Pardons Canada. On the pardon side, they will make you do everything BUT the court documents. I call them a "pardon fantasy camp" because they make you write your own measurable benefits, do you own local police check, and go get fingerprinted somewhere else! So in essence you are paying them to get court documents. I had a PC client who came to me last week to PAY ME to write his measurable benefits. He 2 police checks to do, Peel and Toronto, and they were making him do both and even the forms were not filled out with his addresses.

Waivers. At the airport I see a lot of their waivers. They fake they have a lawyer on staff and fill out a G-28 for some reason. The forms they fill out ok but again...they make you write your own letter. They send you to the airport and they don't care if you succeed or not. They also will waste your time waiting for court documents...ABSOLUTELY not needed in Ontario ports and especially for the offences you described.

When we do a pardon, you sign the forms and do NOTHING else. We do all the work. That's just common sense.

ON the waiver side, the personal letter is the most important element. Waiting for court documents is needed in 1 our of 20 cases. We can have you at the border in less than a month and 60 days later you have the waiver.

Pardons Canada has a bloated staff and need a constant steam of money in the door, so they do shoddy work, pay big bucks to be at the top of the google search and everyone hates them. Their reviews are either horrible (those are the real ones) or good but fake.

The truth is they do not care. The company was founded on deceit by Ian Levine. He pretended they were a "non for profit" like John Howard. Then his next scam was "expedited service". He sold business to Andrew and he has continued the tradition. I have had employees trying to sell me leads from this company on 2 occasions, and they paint a very negative picture.

Assured Pardons: Feedback appreciated: Anyone deal with them in the past, or know anyone that has used them? Thanks!